Click on any of the Frequently Asked Questions in the list below to see an answer. If you have specific questions, please send an email to info@tisbest.org or call 206-501-3005. We are available 8 am-5 pm (Seattle Time) Monday-Friday. We’d love to hear from you.

A TisBest Charity Gift works like any other gift card, except that instead of buying more stuff, the recipient of a Charity Gift Card spends it to support a charity of their choice at www.tisbest.org. You may choose between three gift card types: (1) send a 100% recycled plastic gift card in a quality greeting card by regular mail, (2) send a gift card by email, or (3) print the gift card on your printer. Click here to see examples.

Charity Gift Cards look like this. You choose between (1) printing the gift card on your printer, (2) sending an instant gift card by email or (3) sending a plastic (100% recycled) gift card by regular mail. You choose from over 50 stock images for your Charity Gift Card, or you can upload your own image for the gift card! Plastic cards sent by mail come in a quality greeting card custom printed with your personal message.

Yes. You can upload your own photo, artwork or logo. To upload your own image, click the Buy a Gift Card tab above and then select the "Upload My Own Image" button. It's very easy, a horizontal or landscape photograph works well, and you see exactly what your gift card will look like. Your file will need to be saved as a .JPG file.

There is no extra cost for custom cards.
There is no minimum order for custom cards.
There is no shipping delay for custom cards.

If you are formatting an image specifically for our cards, it should be 974 pixels wide x 606 pixels high at 300 DPI (or similar), RGB color, and saved as a maximum quality .JPG file (must be smaller than 1MB). To “preview” how your image will look, click the Buy a Gift Card tab above and then select the "Upload My Own Image" button. Dark backgrounds work better than light backgrounds, and try to avoid large areas of light yellows and light oranges to assure accurate color reproduction on the plastic cards. If you are working in Photoshop, download our charity gift card PSD template here.

Standard shipping is Free. Expedited or overnight shipping can be selected during checkout for an additional charge. Cards are shipped within one business day after you order them. (For Charity Gift Cards that you print on your printer or send via email, delivery is instant and there is no shipping charge of course.)

Yes. You can order any variety of Charity Gift Cards you want in one transaction. Each Charity Gift Card will appear in your Shopping Cart, and you will pay for all of them during Checkout. If you are sending out several cards with the same message and design, you can upload a mailing list. To do so, click the Buy a Charity Gift Card tab above, select your card type, click the Import Recipient List button and follow instructions on the screen. You will use one of these excel templates: Email Card Template or Plastic Card Template. For orders of 100 cards or more, feel free to contact us directly at info@TisBest.org or 206-501-3005 for additional information and assistance

Yes! We offer international billing options. Simply select the "International" option under the billing address heading on the checkout page. *Note that we can only ship plastic cards within the United States. Email us at info@TisBest.org with any questions.

Each Charity Gift Card is customized so that you can order any denomination, down to the penny, between $10 and $5,000. For example, to celebrate an upcoming event in 2012 or 2013, you may wish to give a card in the amount of $20.12 or $20.13.

Special $5.00 and $1.00 gift cards can be ordered with a 50 card minimum. Consider giving custom designed $5.00 cards to your wedding guests as favors, or have your business give $5.00 Charity Gift Cards, rather than kitsch, at a conference. We add a set-up fee of $100.00 per special order so that 100% of the face value of these cards goes to the selected charities.

To inquire about $5.00 or $1.00 cards, please call 206-501-3005 or send an email to info@TisBest.org. Due to special configuration requirements, these cards are not available for purchase through our website.

When you purchase our email gift cards or print-on-your-printer gift cards, you simply pay for the face value of the card. For our 100% recycled plastic charity gift cards, you pay the card face value plus $1.49 which simply covers the cost of the plastic gift card, greeting card, envelope, and handling (all materials are 100% recycled content). There is no additional cost for customizing any of our gift cards with your own image or logo, including plastic gift cards!

We transfer funds to the charities each calendar quarter, based on Charity Gift Cards spent in the prior quarter. The charity receives the entire amount of the card, less a $1.95 transaction fee and 3% received by the credit card processor (as with all credit card transactions) for gift cards $10.00 and above.

Our special $1.00 and $5.00 gift cards carry a $100.00 setup fee (50 card minimum order) so that 100% of the face value of these cards goes to the selected charities.

We understand the problem with unwanted phone and mail solicitations, so we do not share any customer names or contact information with charities unless you ask us to. Donations are made from TisBest Philanthropy. If you want to register with a charity to receive their mailings, we will offer you that opportunity after you have spent your gift card.

Yes. The person who buys a Charity Gift Card gets the opportunity for a tax deduction. For example, if you buy a $50 Charity Gift Card, we send you a receipt for a $50 charitable donation to TisBest Philanthropy, an IRS approved 501(c)(3) charity under EIN 20-8630809. The person spending a Charity Gift Card is not entitled to a tax deduction. Please consult with your tax advisor for specific advice about taking tax deductions.

Many customers have requested a physical card option, and we're doing our best to offer an environmentally friendly and fully customizable solution. Our plastic gift cards are 100% recycled content – that is why they have a slight gray hue rather than being bright white. See earthworkssystem.com more information.

Our email Charity Gift Cards and receipts come from cards@tisbest.org. If you or the recipient did not receive your order, please first check spam and junk email folders, and add TisBest.org as a trusted sender. If the email is not in the your spam or junk folder, please click the "Blue Button" on your receipt and confirm the email addresses you gave us are correct. If you need further help, or if any plastic cards are not received, please send your name, email address and an explanation to info@TisBest.org. To request a duplicate receipt, click HERE.

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We choose charities with national or international impact that represent a broad array of interests so that nearly everyone will be able to find an organization they believe in for their donation. All of our charities receive significant public support, have demonstrated fiscal and social responsibility and have their official financial and regulatory data subject to third-party review on guidestar.org or charitynavigator.org. We generally feature charities with annual revenues or assets of at least $3 million, and our team reviews the 990 Tax Forms filed by our charities to ensure fiscal accountability.

TisBest Local Charities
We introduced our Local Charities in 2009. To select Local Charities, we asked Social Venture Partner chapters, and other similar groups, to nominate charities from their region for the Local Charities List. We sought charities that were locally founded and operated (i.e. not subsidiaries of national organizations), focused on the local community, were admired by their peers for effectiveness and fiscal responsibility and operated with a sustainable model.

We started the Partner Code program to offer additional benefits to nonprofits that have really taken TisBest’s mission to heart. Participating charities are given a code and dedicated link which they share with their supporters. Every time a Charity Gift Card is purchased with the link or code, TisBest Philanthropy donates $2 to the partner charity. This donation comes out of TisBest’s general funds and does not affect the donation value of your gift card. The recipient of a Partner Code card also sees a brief message that tells them about the partner charity’s mission and encourages them to consider including that charity when they spend their Charity Gift Card.

We have carefully selected 300+ worthy national and local charities to choose from to appeal to a broad array of interests and believe that everyone will be able to find a cause and an organization they can enthusiastically support with their donation. As such, TisBest Charity Gift Cards can be used to support any of the charities on our website. We welcome new charity nominations and encourage you to send the name of the charity, its web address, and why you think it should be featured by TisBest to nomination@tisbest.org. New nominations are reviewed annually.

We ask for your email address in order to send you an email confirming that your donation was sent. We protect email addresses with a strict Privacy Policy, and will never sell donor information or distribute email addresses without permission. If you still prefer not to provide your real email address, just use abc@123.com in the field that asks for your email address.

Absolutely. Please send an email to nomination@tisbest.org with the name of the charity, its web address and why you think it should be featured by TisBest. Please keep in mind that charities we feature on our national list must be shown on charitynavigator.org or guidestar.org, have a national presence, and generally must have revenues over $3 million per year.

Yes. Each time a charity gift card in your order is spent, you receive an email notice with information about the charity(ies) supported. Also, the receipt we send by email will contain links that let you check on the status of each charity gift card.

TisBest has chosen not to participate in the BBB Accreditation program for a variety of reasons. First and foremost, we believe the BBB’s accreditation requirements are sorely out of date. While the BBB’s out-of-date Charity Report states that TisBest falls short of compliance in several areas, that claim is not accurate. TisBest does not meet just one of their 20 criteria, and that criterion has to do with the meetings of the board of directors and the location of such meetings. The BBB standard (No. 3) requires: “A minimum of three evenly spaced meetings per year of the full governing body with a majority in attendance, with face-to-face participation.” This requirement is fine for a charity that is local or even regional, and where board members can easily and quickly travel to attend. TisBest, however, is a national organization and our desire is to draw board members from various areas of expertise and from various areas of the country. As a small organization, it is more cost effective (and more financially prudent) to allow some of our board members to attend telephonically as opposed to paying for transportation, lodging, food, etc. in order to attend meetings in person. In short, we are not willing to unnecessarily spend valuable resources in order to meet this single BBB standard, and that decision disqualifies TisBest from BBB accreditation.

Moreover, with the advent of charity review sites such as www.GreatNonProfits.org and sophisticated watchdog organizations such as Guidestar (www.Guidestar.org) and Charity Navigator posting detailed information about thousands of charities (including TisBest), we believe the BBB, with its pay-to-play philosophy, is simply irrelevant. If you have questions about this matter, please direct them to Executive Director Jon Siegel at Jon@TisBest.org.

The best thing you can do is let your friends know about the TisBest Charity Gift Card option for gift giving. The more people that know about us, the more often money will go to charity rather than more unnecessary stuff. Please share your thoughts and encouragement by sending email to info@TisBest.org and tell us why you like what we are doing and what else you would like to see us do. And finally, if you are on Facebook, please become a TisBest Fan - www.Facebook.com/TisBest. Thank you!

Password Requirements:6 or more characters with 1 upper and 1 lowercase letter and 1 number

DiscoverGiving’s research-based curriculum provides students with a powerful opportunity
to practice and model altruism using activities and discussion topics that reinforce
the intrinsic motivations behind giving. Engaging in these prosocial behaviors in
the classroom helps students cultivate compassion and generosity on both a group
and individual level.

At the start of the lesson, students are introduced to philanthropy by reflecting
on ways they or someone they know has shared their time, talent or treasure to create
positive change. Students are amazed to discover many ways they already participate
in philanthropy, such as donating canned food or giving spare change to a person
in need.

The teacher then guides students through making a charitable donation with a TisBest
Charity Gift Card. Students each “spend” a $1.00 charity gift card by choosing a
charity to support in an area of interest to them, such as protecting the rain forest
or endangered species, caring for sick kids, or feeding a hungry family. Through
this hands-on giving experience, students learn that they can make a positive difference
in the world! Charities supported by student donations receive 100% of the funds
from each TisBest Charity Gift Card.

Following the charity gift card activity, students participate in literacy-focused
enrichment activities, each adhering to a Common Core standard. The activities encourage
students to think beyond their $1.00 charity gift card and identify concrete ways
they can continue to make a positive difference in the word around them.

What is DiscoverGiving?

DiscoverGiving is a classroom philanthropy project from TisBest. DiscoverGiving
guides students through a hands-on giving experience using fun, engaging activities
designed to foster altruism and spark a lifelong appreciation for the power of generosity.

Who teaches the DiscoverGiving lesson?

DiscoverGiving lessons are taught by 3rd-6th grade elementary school teachers. Anyone
can purchase a kit and give it to a teacher. The teacher then determines when and
how to integrate the lesson into his or her regular curriculum.

Do I have to be a teacher to order a Classroom Giving Kit?

No. Anyone can purchase a kit and give it to a 3rd-6th grade teacher. To learn more
about sponsoring a classroom, see our Parents or Sponsors section below.

Enrichment Activity #2: Reading
Reading informational text (15 minutes)
Pass out copies of the April 2013 article from the Huffington Post: “Olivia Peters’
Letter Saves Surrey Forest.” Introduce the article by telling the class that this
is a new story about a 12-year-old girl from Canada who was upset that her city
planned to cut down trees near her home, so she decided to do something about it.
Give the students time to read the article, and then ask the following questions
to deepen comprehension and encourage valuable discussion:

“Why did Olivia feel like her voice needed to be heard?”
“Why do you think Olivia’s letter helped change the housing development plans?”
“What inspires you the most about Olivia’s story?”

Does the DiscoverGivng curriculum meet Common Core State Standards?

Yes, participation in the DiscoverGiving lesson and enrichment activities meet the
following Common Core standards:

The following Common Core standards are met by participating in the DiscoverGiving
lesson and enrichment activities:

I’m teaching a DiscoverGiving lesson; will I know which charities my students choose
to support?

Yes. During the redemption process your student is asked to send a note to you explaining
why they chose to support that charity. These notes are automatically emailed to
you the moment your students completes the redemption process.

Do students really get to donate $1 to the charity of their choice?

Yes. Each $1.00 TisBest Charity Gift Card represents one real dollar held by TisBest
Philanthropy. TisBest sends 100% of each student donation to the charity they chose
to support.

What is a TisBest Charity Gift Card?

A TisBest Charity Gift works like any other gift card, except that instead of buying
stuff, the recipient of a charity gift card spends it to support a charity of their
choice. Visit the TisBest homepage to learn more about how you can use a TisBest
Charity Gift Card.

How do the students make their donation?

Students use their TisBest Charity Gift Card through the TisBest website at www.TisBest.org/Kids.
The donation process is secure, and TisBest does not collect personal information
about students during the redemption process. Once TisBest is notified of the student’s
donation, a check or ACH deposit is sent to the charity the student chose to support
during our regular distribution times.

To preview the redemption process, go to www.TisBest.org/Kids and use this demo
code: DE9-AWF

How much of the students’ donations actually go to charity?

Charities supported by student donations receive 100% of the funds from each TisBest
Charity Gift Card.

How do you select the charities you feature on the TisBest website?

TisBest National Chairities
We choose charities with national or international impact that represent a broad
array of interests so that nearly everyone will be able to find an organization
they believe in for their donation. All of our charities receive significant public
support, have demonstrated fiscal and social responsibility and have their official
financial and regulatory data subject to third-party review on guidestar.org or
charitynavigator.org. We generally feature charities with annual revenues or assets
of at least $3 million, and our team reviews the 990 Tax Forms filed by our charities
to ensure fiscal accountability.

TisBest Local Charities

We introduced our Local Charities in 2009. To select Local Charities, we asked Social
Venture Partner chapters and other similar groups to nominate charities from their
region for the Local Charities List. We sought charities that were locally operated,
focused on the local community, were admired by their peers for effectiveness and
fiscal responsibility and operated with a sustainable model.

DiscoverGiving is an awesome program, how can I help spread the word?

The best thing you can do is let your friends and the teachers in your life know
about the DiscoverGiving program. The more people that know about us, the more students
will discover ways they can have a positive impact on the world around them. Please
share your thoughts and encouragement by sending email to
DiscoverGiving@TisBest.org and tell us why you love the program and what
else you would like to see us do. And connect with us and/or share about the program
on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and LinkedIn. Thank you!

Who is TisBest Philanthropy?

TisBest Philanthropy is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering
the growth of non-material gift-giving. TisBest created charity gift cards in 2007.
Charity gift cards work like conventional gift cards, but with one important exception:
the recipient of a charity gift card "spends" it by choosing a charity to receive
the funds.

With a TisBest Charity Gift Card, you make the donation and your recipient decides
how to spend the donation, choosing from TisBest's 300+ charity partners. Learn
more at www.tisbest.org.

The DiscoverGiving Classroom Giving Kit has everything needed to quickly and easily
spark conversation and curiosity in students about philanthropy including:

The cost of a Classroom Giving Kit is $62.00 + $1.00 per student. For example, the
total Kit cost for a classroom of 30 students would be $92.00. Shipping is free,
and your entire DiscoverGiving purchase is tax deductible.

*Classroom Giving Kits are currently available for grades 3-6.

The following Common Core standards are met by participating in the DiscoverGiving
lesson and enrichment activities:

By participating in the DiscoverGiving program, students engage in activities designed
to boost their
levels of happiness and satisfaction and enhance the prosocial behaviors of generosity and compassionate
action.

When K-12 students engage in service learning activities in the classroom, they demonstrate
an increased capacity for learning, a decline in absenteeism, and a stronger connection to their school. Significant health
benefits have been recorded in children who participate in generous behavior including a reduced risk of substance
abuse, depression and suicide in adolescents. Studies of fMRI scans show that giving
to charity relates to increased activity in areas of the brain associated with pleasure,
social connection and trust. Altruism has also been shown to be contagious.
When students give they create a ripple effect of generosity in their school community!

It may not seem like much, a single dollar can accomplish quite a lot. During the
lesson, students are given examples of how far a dollar can go to support a charity’s
mission, helping them to understand the true value of their donation. Plus, the
enrichment activities included in the DiscoverGiving Kit encourage students to reflect
on how it felt to make a difference and helps them identify new ways to impact the
world, empowering each child to become a lifelong world-changer!

Charities supported by student donations receive 100% of the funds from each $1.00
TisBest Charity Gift Card. Together the dollars in a classroom can have an even
bigger impact. A classroom with 25 students will spend $25 benefitting a wide range
of charitable organizations. Multiplying that times 1,000 DiscoverGiving classrooms
means $25,000 in charitable donations to important causes. Together, DiscoverGiving
students can make a significant financial impact within the nonprofit community
and make the world a better place.

Reading informational text (20 minutes)
Pass out copies of the April 2013 article from the Huffington Post: “Olivia Peters’
Letter Saves Surrey Forest.” Introduce the article by telling the class that this
is a new story about a 12-year-old girl from Canada who was upset that her city
planned to cut down trees near her home, so she decided to do something about it.
Give the students time to read the article, and then ask the following questions
to deepen comprehension and encourage valuable discussion:

“Why did Olivia feel like her voice needed to be heard?” “Why do you think Olivia’s
letter helped change the housing development plans?” “What inspires you the most
about Olivia’s story?”

TisBest Philanthropy WebsiteVersion: 2014.20

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